Elizabeth Colbert Busch is the Democratic nominee in the race to fill the South Carolina congressional seat previously held by Republican Tim Scott. / Bruce Smith, AP

by Martha T. Moore
USA TODAY, USA TODAY

by Martha T. Moore
USA TODAY, USA TODAY

As a special election in South Carolina's first congressional district gets underway, Democrats are hoping that a well-funded candidate with a business background and a celebrity connection will allow them to break a 30-year GOP streak - especially against a Republican with a scandal in his past.

Former governor Mark Sanford won a GOP primary runoff by a wide margin Tuesday against former Charleston County councilman Curtis Bostic, Sanford will face Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a businesswoman whose brother is Comedy Central commentator Stephen Colbert. The May 7 special election will fill the seat of former Republican congressman Tim Scott, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate in January.

In his attempt to return to public office, Sanford is asking voters outright for a second chance after a highly public fall from grace. In 2009, then-Gov. Sanford disappeared for five days and on his return tearfully confessed to an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina. Sanford and his wife divorced. That woman, María Belén Chapur, and Sanford are now engaged

After he voted Tuesday, Sanford said the runoff results would show whether voters have forgiven him. But, he added, "I suppose at some level I will never completely move beyond that."

Sanford represented the 1st Congressional District from 1995 to 2001. In the primary March 19, he took 37% of the vote to Bostic's 13% in a field of 16 candidates, below the 50% benchmark needed to avoid a runoff.

Colbert Busch campaign spokesman James Smith wasted no time becoming combative, saying Tuesday night that voters "need a representative who they can trust. Mark Sanford simply has the wrong values for our community.''

Democrats see the congressional race as a chance for a win in deeply Republican South Carolina. It may be a slim chance in a district that hasn't sent a Democrat to Congress since 1978, but it's their best chance in quite a while.

Sanford is "damaged goods,'' says Dick Harpootlian, state Democratic chairman. "Here's a guy that had 100% name recognition that only got 35% (of the vote) in the primary.'' In the primary and runoff, Sanford didn't face TV ads critical of his infidelity and dissembling, Harpootlian says. "That's going to change dramatically in the next week or so.''

At least one Republican agrees: consultant Chip Felkel says the Charleston-centered district isn't as Republican as popularly believed. "She's a moderate Democrat from what I can tell. She's not a tree hugger. She has a compelling story. I think it's going to be a tough battle.''

National Democratic organizations say they're watching to see if they should jump in and spend on Colbert Busch's behalf. "We'll continue to evaluate this race as it takes shape after the runoff, but there's no question that a tough businesswoman like Elizabeth Colbert Busch would bring a much-needed attitude of problem-solving to Washington," says Emily Bittner of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Similarly, EMILY's List, which supports Democratic female candidates, says it is "watching the race closely,'' according to spokeswoman Marcy Stech.

Katie Prill of the National Republican Campaign Committee says the group does not yet know whether it will spend on behalf of the Republican candidate.

Sanford and Colbert Busch can both raise money: more than $300,000 each just for their primaries. Stephen Colbert, the comedian who plays a conservative blowhard on television, is appearing at multiple fundraisers for his sister the Democrat.

The Republican tilt in South Carolina is so strong - five of the state's six districts are represented by Republicans - that political scientist David Woodard of Clemson University says Colbert Busch doesn't have a chance regardless of Sanford's past scandal. "He'll kill her. He'll beat her like a rented mule,'' Woodard says. "I just don't see that a Democrat has much hope for a congressional race in South Carolina.''